MOSCOW, Idaho – The Vandals (4-14, 1-7) made 10 shots from behind the arc and forced Sacramento State (5-9, 1-6) into 14 turnovers to earn their first conference win of the season in overtime, 73-72 on Saturday at ICCU Arena.
"We simply didn't want anybody to have a reason to leave early. We wanted to keep everybody in their seats," Head coach
Zac Claus said. "Our guys were able to get the right number of timely stops when we needed them." Â
Three Vandals scored in double figures, including a team-high 17 points from
Trevante Anderson. The 6-1 guard shot 6-of-9 from the field while recording four rebounds and three assists.
Mikey Dixon added 14 points and
JeMeil King pitched in 10 more off the bench. King also dished out four assists and got it done on the defensive end with three steals.
"I thought our guys were really good at attacking and getting themselves into the paint," Claus said. "I thought Trevante and JeMeil did a wonderful job of playing downhill, creating both for themselves and their teammates. They were able to share the ball well enough to get some good momentum."
Back-to-back buckets from
Tanner Christensen and a lay-up from Anderson got the Vandals going early in the first half, leading 6-5. Idaho expanded their advantage to 11-5 after a jumper and 3-point basket from
Rashad Smith but Sac State answered with a 10-0 run to take the lead, 15-11. Later on, the Vandals responded with a 10-0 run of their own to push the score to 26-17 with under five minutes remaining. Idaho held the Hornets to 25 first-half points which was the lowest output by a UI opponent this season as the Vandals carried a 33-25 advantage into the locker room.
Idaho's defense was exceptional in the first period, forcing 11 of Sac State's 14 turnovers that resulted in 13 points for Idaho.
King was fearless on both ends of the floor, scoring all 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes while also forcing Sac State into three turnovers that resulted in the hands of King.
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The 3-point shots were falling to start the second half, as Idaho made six of their first seven shots from behind the arc. The Vandals led by as many as 13 points in the second period before the Hornets were able to claw their way back with under six minutes to play.
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Guard Bryce Fowler made four of the last five shots for Sac State to ultimately tie the score at 67 all with an extra period of action needed to decide the outcome.
A layup from Anderson and a triple from Smith proved to be crucial baskets to put Idaho up, 73-69. A three-point play by Sac State's Fowler made it a one-point game. The Vandal defense came up big with three seconds remaining in the period, forcing a jump ball that favored Idaho to ultimately secure the victory, 73-72.
Idaho's 10 for 25 performance from three was the sixth time this season Idaho has made 10 or more threes in a game. Anderson led the team with a 3 for 4 effort from distance.
Next up: The Vandals will have a quick turnaround as the team will travel to face Portland State on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
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